A Diamond In The Rough
by Elstro1988
Summary: Noah, a red teenaged Vauxhall Nova from Brixton, London is lost in America and ends up in Radiator Springs. However, he falls in love...Warning Snot RodXOC Slash!
1. Chapter 1

Noah, a red teenaged Vauxhall Nova from Britain finds himself lost on the roads of America.

DISCLAIMER: All characters except Noah the Nova belogn to Disney/Pixar.

Snot rod x OC.

Angst/Romance

WARNINGS: Slash.

The red Vauxhall naervously but determinedly pressed on, a tiny speck amongst the heavy rigs, the minivans, and big, lazy American sedans that accompanied him along the busy I-40. Several of the passing cars turned their eyes to look at him, his boxy styling unfamilair to American eyes.

"Where Am I? Oh where am I?" the young car thought, as his tiny 1200cc engine struggled to keep up with the larger vehicles. Ever since he was little, Noah always wanted the simple pleasure of a fifth gear. The other kids on his street back in Brixton had that luxury - Esther the red Fiesta, Jimmy Uno, and his best friend, Micky Metro Turbo. Cursed from birth with a poverty specification, Noah always found it hard to feel accepted. Sure he had his friends, but he always felt different. He came from a big family of Novas - he was one of seven children to Manny Merit and Cindy Club. Most of his siblings became boy or girl racers and hung out at McDonalds, harassing other cars. Noah was a quiet, intorverted child by comparison.

Noah had to get off the interstate. He had to! Luckily he saw a turn-off a couple of car-lengths ahead. Hastily indicating, he lurched onto it. This was a narrower, much quieter road. Noah didn't care where he ended up, as long as it wasn't another interstate. And he thought British motorways were bad. As he drove, he suddenly caught the familar sounds of 50 Cent's "in da club" blasting out, obviously from too-loud radio. Rap music was what most of the local Brixton cars liked. Noah liked punk rock music or pop music - he just didnt see rap as real music. Suddenly, straightahead was a burst of garish neon lights as the music grew louder, and as Noah approached, he realised it was four chavved-up cars, though obviously they were bigger than Novas and Saxos he knew. In front of Noah's nose was a big orange car - it looked like a Mustang or something from the sixties, but as he got closer, he caught the "'cuda" logo on its rear. It had huge drag tires and stub exhausts under each side. SUddenly, with a tremendous sneeze, flames shot from the exhausts and the 'cuda shot forward. The other cars were exactly like the cars from Fast And The Furious. One was van-shaped, and it was that which was blasting the music. The other two were lower-slung coupés - one had a complex purple and pink paintjob, the other was greenish with an enormous rear wing.

"Yo DJ!" said the purple one, which appeared to be a Mitsubishi Eclipse, "We got ourselves a stranger!"

"Wingo! Lane change maan!" said the van, as he casually shoved Noah to the edge of the road. The large bespoilered car shoved Noah back.

Noah was too tired to care and instead tried to get more speed out of his already-stressed engine. His exhaust popped and banged as he drove himself further and further to the limit. He was depserate for a drink and knew that the only things he was running on were fumes and crap from the bottom of his tank. He could feel his carb sucking more and more air as the fuel supply dwindled even more. Rather than continue to harass him, the four tuner cars dropped back, leaving him with a clearer road.

Noah sped past a wooden sign, and at last, saw neon lights ahead. He began to drive into a small town, lit up with neon and bustling with cars. He clocked the big Ford V8 sign and with a groan of relief, pulled into Flo's Café. Already at the pumps was a VOlkswagen camper van, a bright green Buick Regal NASCAR, a low-slung red NASCAR and an old 1950s wrecker truck that looked like it had spent the last ten years in a lake. Gasping, Noah came to a stop with a series of spluttering backfires, just short of the nearest pump.

"HOLY SHUTE!" came a southern drawl. The wrecker truck had driven over to the defeated little Vauxhall.

"Mater, what's wrong?" asked Lightning, the red NASCAR.

"This lil car jest blew himself up right here!" Mater exclaimed, "I've no darn idea what sorta car this one is!"

"Me neither," said Lightning, "His licence plates look different too - he's from Britain!"

Noah was only jsut managing to stay awake.

"Here ya go honey," came a kind-sounding female voice, "Have some of ma finest fuel on the house!"

Noah opened one eye to see a green, chromed 1950s showcar, with huge tailfins. She nudged him to a pump and connected him up. Noah couldn't stay up any longer and feel asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When he awoke, Noah had no idea where he was. He stared at silver walls all around him. Suddenly, he realised he was on a ramp, and an old Hudson Hornet was stood looking at him.

"Where am I?" he choked.

"Relax, kid," said the Hudson, in a rough yet reassuring voice, "You've been passed out a week. You have had to have your front axle re-welded, new brake pads put in, and your carburettor stripped down. You were in a bad way when you stopped at Flo's."

"Am I allowed to go?" he nervously asked.

"Sure kid, but don't get too far you've only got a ration of fuel in your tank," said Doc, "In fact, you've got some visitors!"

"I have?" Noah said incredulously.

The Hudson left, and in came, of all cars, the green, be-winged tuner car that had harassed him on the road, and the red NASCAR from the gas station.

"How ya feelin, man?" asked Wingo. The Silvia had been guilt-struck ever since he spotted the passed-out Nova attached to a drip in Doc Hudson's surgery.

"Sore," croaked Noah.

"Sorry, ya know, for pissin ya off on the road," Wingo said, "We had no idea you was sick."

"It's ok," Noah said.

The Silvia left.

"Boy, you gave us all a scare," said Lightning.. He had a slightly arrogant, but infectious big smile on his face, "I've only seen cars like you on the internet. Kinda like the Road Hazards in Britain, eh?"

"I'm not like that!" Noah protested, "My brothers are all boy races, but I didn't wanna join that, all goin' off wiv slutty Clios and that."

"Well, I'll show you round the town," Lightning said, "My girlfriend Sally says she's got you a room at the Cozy Cone."

"Cool," Noah said, and he started his engine and began to follow Lightning around. He was introduced to Ramone, Luigi, Guido, Sarge and Fillmore, and Lizzie did her bit by slapping an "I heart RS" sticker on his rear bumper. He decided to see what the businesses did for him. First stop was for some new tyres. His current ones were perished.

"What-a can Luigi do for Mister Opel Corsa?" asked the yellow Fiat, beaming at him.

"No, I'm a Vauxhall," Noah said, "Nova."

"Luigi will-a fix-a you with some whitewall tyres! They say HERE I AM! LOVE ME!" Luigi grinned.

Noah wasn't sure, but compared to some of kit his brothers had had fitted whitewalls would be a bit original. With the black Nova steels, the whitewalls looked pretty good. Doc Hudson had removed his silver hubcaps. Next stop was Ramone's. Noah wasn't sure. He was impressed by the flames that the Impala had on himself, but he didn't think he would suit them. In the end, he opted for a new coat of red - his current shade was faded by years of sunshine and rainfall, though he got Ramone to spray his black steels yellow for a bit of glitz. Sarge kitted him out with some army surplus, and he sampled some of Fillmore's organic fuel. Noah felt so much better, that he even asked for his number plates to be removed. But the Sheriff refused.

"You're still a British citizen, boy," he said, "So ya need your plates."

By the time Noah had finished his little makeover, he headed down the road, where, he knew the other kids were. The Nissan Silvia seemed sorry about the other night - maybe they'd allow him to join their gang. Sheriff stopped him.

"Just watch yourself boy," he said, "Those tuner kids are a bit of a bad influence."

"Oh be fair sheriff!" piped up a blue Porsche, "Wingo did go and say sorry. Plus, they work here now! Remember?"

"Sorry Sally," the old Mercury said, "I guess I just prejudge the young cars."

Noah made his way down the road just past the impound lot, and he spotted the orange Barracuda sitting there, alone. Over the huge blower sticking up from the bonnet, Noah could see that the muscle car was asleep. He crawled over to it, idling as quietly as he could.

"Ahh...ahhh...AHCHOOOO!" Flames burst from the eight side exhaust stubs, making Noah jump. Snot Rod's sneeze had woken himself up. "

"Bless you," Noah said.

"Cheers," sniffed Snot Rod.

"What/s your name?" asked Noah.

"Snot Rod," the 'cuda replied.

Noah tried not to laugh. "My name's Noah," he said.

"Cool," Snot Rod said.

"You OK?" asked Noah, "Thought you'd be with the other cars?"

"Nah," Snot Rod replied, "DJ and Boost are too busy trying to get with those stupid Miata twins from the cafe, whilst Wingo's too busy working."

"Miata...oh you mean them two MX-5's!" Noah said, raising his windscreen, "Ah yeah, sorta car my brothers would like."

"Brothers?" Snot Rod said, interested. The Plymouth turned and looked at Noah. Behind the blower were two green eyes that had a deep and meaningful look about them.

"Yeah, all of them are tuned Novas like me, only they look more like your friends," Noah said. He could never explain things properly.

"Nova?" Snot Rod questioned. He knew this British boy was an import, and definitely not one that you saw over in America.

Noah turned round so Snot Rod could read his badges.

"Nova 1.2 merit...Vauxhall?" Snot Rod read, "What's 1.2 in cubic inches?"

"Dunno, probably pathetic," spat Noah.

"Don't say that," Snot Rod said, rather soothingly. Despite this little econobox's rather plain styling, there was something about him that was endearing. That British accent, the rather phat yellow wheels with whitewall tyres, and his easygoing smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Only Wingo knew about Snot Rod (real name Colin) 's sexuality, and he didnt mind, as long as Snot Rod didnt hit on him. And Snot Rod was falling in love with this cute little Vauxhall. From the moment he passed him on the road. When Noah was unconscious, Snot Rod had begged Wingo to let him visit the Nova, and every day he would sit and look at the little red car, not that it would have made much of a difference. Wingo had worked it out already, and he kept pestering Snot Rod to go and talk to him.

Noah gazed into the Plymouth's eyes. There was a big heart behind the blower, drag pips and big tyres, he could sense it. He knew he wanted this car as a friend.

So from that day, Noah hung out in Radiator Springs with his new friend. DJ and Boost also both apologised to him, but they were too busy leering over Mia and Tia. It seemed the DRH were starting to go separate ways. Noah also made friends with Mater and Lightning McQueen and was a frequent attendee at the racecar's practice sessions down at Willy's Butte. He also found out Doc Hudson's real identity after seeing him race McQueen. In fact, the little teenaged Brit fitted right in at Radiator Springs. He wasn't quite old enough to work, so he got plenty of spare time to check out the surrounding land. He once tried his luck round the makeshift track, but his front-wheel-driven chassis didnt agree with THAT turn, so, like LIghtning back in the day, poor Noah ended up in the prickly cacti.

"I think you need some practice!" laughed Lightning, as he and Mater paused at the edge of the track.

"How can you get round there?" choked Noah, barely able to speak thanks to the numerous catctus spines, "OWCH!" He felt a sharp pain in the back as MAter hooked him up, ready to pull the little car out. When he was safely out, he turned to face the racecar.

"Sarge did some research on Novas on his army surplus computer," Lightning said, "And apparently they used to rally."

"Yeah yeah yeah!" Noah said eagerly, "But I've always wanted to be a touring car."

"Touring car?" Lightning questioned, raising one red eyelid.

"Like, i dunno, what you'd call saloon -sorry SEDAN racing," Noah said. He knew what to say, he just found it hard to put into words.

Ah! Now he understood. Lightning's friend Fred was competing at Laguna Seca the other week, and he had said it was for sedans. Maybe Fred could give him a hand. Fred, the rusty yet excitable Lada Riva (whose front bumper always fell off) had undergone a thorough transformation since moving to Radiator Springs. He had had urgen body repairs carried out by Doc, gone into full Rust-eze therapy and had a Fiat twincam engine transplant. and then had been sprayed a dark yellow by Ramone before gaining some race tyres from Luigi. Also, he ran on organic fuel for racing.

So later on that day, Noah was sat with Lightning and Mater at Flo's, when the snort of a well-tuned twincam engine sounded, and Fred drove up. He still had that endearing crooked smile and the jovial manner (as well as the licence plate) but otherwise he looked like a new car. Sitting low on dished BBS racing wheels with black bumpers and a simple dark yellow paintjob, plus sporting large '95' decals plus the "KA-CHOW!" bolts on his front wings, he certainly looked the part, and thanks to Fillmore's fuel diet, his twincam engine ran better than ever.

"Fred, this is Noah," Lightning said.

"Hiya Fred," Noah said, waving his front wheel.

"HellO!" beamed the Lada, eagerly extending a tyre. Noah nervously shook it. But Fred smiled kindly at him.

"Uh..Lightning says you can teach me stuff on saloon car racing," stuttered the Nova.

"I certainly can!" grinned Fred, "Meet me, the Doc and Lightnin' down at the Butte at 1, and I'll teach ya some basics. Your a little front-driver, so ya need to play it steady. It's about precision."

"What are you?" asked Noah.

"Rear-wheel-drive," replied Fred, "THe Doc taught me the ropes and then I just taught myself. I can teach ya front-drive stuff no problem."

"Won the Camshaft Cup For Pre-1990 sedans in March," Lightning said.

"Cool!" Noah said.

"Well we're not all precision instruments of speed and aerodynamics!" Fred grinned goodnaturedly at McQueen.

"Well you've done damn good with what you;ve got!" Lightning said, "It was the least I could do for my most loyal member of the sponsorship. Part of the team now, buddy."

Noah had a fun, but exhausting day. He at first followed Fred and Lightning around Willy's Butte, and then just spent time working on throttle control, and then on how to take S-bends and right-angle turns. This was where Fred's expertise wis most evident. Lightning only raced on oval tracks. By the end of the day however, the little car felt overdue for the knacker's yard. His engine had been worked harder than it ever had been in its life, and his brake pads and tyres were starting to wear thin. He pined for a fifth gear, but Fred said that it's not about what you have, its about how you use it in saloon-racing.

"If I can do it, anyone can!" the Lada Riva had said bracingly, "I'm sure Lightning will tell you what i used to be like!" Fred had then imeprsonated his old, celebrity-worshipping self, but obviously, his front bumper didnt fall off.

"Does it not feel weird, being sponsored rather than being the sponsor?" Noah asked.

"Yeah," Fred replied, "Some of my old friends reckoned I was getting big ideas, and that nobody would take me seriously. I used to live in Britain too - then in '95 I came over here after sitting around in various council houses. DIdnt bother to take care of myself, and i got so bad that half my body would be left behind everywhere I went."

Lightning had not heard all this. Yes, he did find the bouncy little rustbucket a pain in the backside, always harassing him and any other racecar that approached him, but obviously after being best friends with Tow Mater, he appreciated the rusty cars who gave him that big break.

"Moved to Radiator Springs after last year's Piston Cup, and then Lightning got his pal the Hudson Hornet to fix me - and well, here I am."

"Cool," Noah said. He was fascinated by this tale.

"We share Mack," MCQueen sput in, "When I;m not racing in the Piston Cup, Fred's being hauled to the big circuits for the sedan events. Two-car team now, Rust-eze."

However, what Noah didn't know, was that a car had sat and watched him the whole time. Noah did not know that even though he'd been in Radiator Springs for just over a week, he'd gone and got a secret admirer! He followed Fred and McQueen back into the town. Noah's tyres ached and felt painfully worn. He stopped by Luigi's for a new set, and then got two new front wheel brake pads fitted by Doc.

"Aaah," sighed the Nova, as he idled smoothly along the main road through the town. As he passed Fillmore's, he heard a sneeze and then, with a growl from his supercharged Hemi V8, Snot Rod appeared beside him from the geodesic dome.

"Heya," the muscle car said, "How was racing practice?"

"Knackering," Noah said, "But it was so cool! Watch this!" He revved his four-cylinder engine, spinning his front tyres, before shooting off down the road. He braked sharply and turned right across the road, as if it was a hairpin bend on a track.

"That Fred guy really knows his stuff," Snot Rod said.

"How do you know?" asked Noah, "Didnt think you were into circuit racing. By the look of your big blower, maybe a bit of drag racing!"

"I overheard him and McQueen talkin'," the Plymouth replied, "When me and the guys were busted for speeding and had to fix a bit of road, he came into town, all rusty. Then, next thing, he's on TV for winnin' a race! Apparently he had an engine transplant!"

"Yup," Noah said, "2-litre Fiat twincam."

"Coool," said the 'cuda, "Hey, do you wanna have dinner with me?"

Noah stared at him.

"I mean, just ya know, we can talk about racin' and stuff," mumbled the Plymouth, his orange paint glowing a little.

Noah might have been a quiet boy, but he wasnt stupid. He noted the blushing with interest and began to think that there was more to this muscle car than meets the eye.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey, Corsa boy," came a voice, "If you want, come crash at mine tonight, and we can talk about getting you your first race!"

Fred had drove up. Noah felt his redcoat flush a touch redder.

"Sorry, interrupting anything?" grinned the yellow Lada.

"No, no," Noah said airily, front wheels spinning as he fought to contain his embarrassment, "Yeah, cone sounds good. Sorry."

"That's cool" said the Barracuda, "Gotta meet Boost in five minutes anyway." With a growl from his stub exhaust, the muscle car reversed and headed off. Noah nervously followed Fred back down the high street.

"Fancy taking a drive?" Fred asked.

"Ok," replied the Nova.

With a rasp from his side exhausts, the Lada began to pick up speed. Noah nervously followed his friendly teacher. He could see the varous entry stickers plastered over his rear window.

"If you ever want to talk," grinned Fred, "You can."

"What do you mean?" asked Noah.

"I could see the way he was looking at you."

"Who?"

"That Plymouth! He couldn't take his eyes off you. I'd bet my lugnuts that he fancies you."

Noah screeched to a halt. No. Had it been that obvious?

"You're gonna ask if I have a problem, aren't ya?" asked Fred.

"Well, I er.." choked the Nova.

"Well I don't!" Fred smirked, "Guess who I'm dating?"

"Who?" asked Noah.

"You know Chick?"

"Who?" Noah asked again. Who was that? Oh yeah, the green Buick Regal. "No way!"

Fred nodded in earnest.

"Wouldn't that, like, I dunno, make things bad between you and Lightning, rival team and all that?"

"Lightning doesn't care!" Fred said, "Chick got kicked into line when he was stripped of his Piston Cup when he wrecked The King. Not half as arrogant as he used to be. He's charming really. Doesn't race the Piston cup anymore, he actually occasionally races in the unlimited class in the same championship as me. Camshaft Cup, Pre-1990 sedans. I taught him how to corner."

By now the two cars had arrived at a building near the out-of-town impount lot. This building looked recently refurbished and bore the 'Rust-Eze' logo.

"You live at the HQ?" asked Noah.

"Yeah, share with Mack and Lightning," Fred said, "Anyway, if you want Snot Rod to notice you, you need to drop hints. Chick and I had our first kiss after his first race."

"Do you not live with him?" asked Noah.

"He's not ready for that yet," Fred said, "Only you and Lightning know about it, he wants to keep it secret. There's a lot of angry race fans who still hate him for his stunt on the King."

The Lada led the Nova into the back garages of the HQ. Fred's garage was easy to spot. There were several trophies and news articles about him on display. One read 'McQUEENS SPONSOR A WINNER!'. Intrigued, Noah took a look.

Sears Point race report, February 2007. By Kori Turbowitz.

Seems Lightning McQueen has been tutoring his own sponsorship! The opening round of the Camshaft Cup for Pre-1990 sedans was blitzkreiged by newcomer Fred, a 1985 Lada Riva originating from Russia and the United Kingdom. However we were intrigued by a certain familiarity about this Soveit-built buzzbox. Silver bolt stickers on the front wings, running #95, and sponsorship by Rust-Eze. We can exclusively reveal that Fred was actually a member of the Rust=Eze Medicated Bumper Ointment Racing Team sponsor prior to making his competition debut and now races under McQueen's colours as the second car. Whilst he lacks the outright speed and grunt to beat the best of the Piston Cup, Fred took the sprint and feature rounds of today's event by ten seconds, showing superb drifting and cornering techniques.

"It was my first professional race and it was a bit daunting," stated Fred, who runs on Organic-spec fuel only available from Radiator Springs, "Especially when you've got the legend of Lightning McQueen to live up to. I know what its like to come from nothing, so all 'm doing is making the best of what I've got."

On making a required personal appearance post-race to the sponsorship, as stated in his contract, Fred found addressing his former brethren difficult.

"Many of them now think I've got too big for my tyres, but I think it is just jealousy to be honest.I haven't forgotten my roots and am grateful to them for paying out extra sponsorship. Without them, I wouldn't have made it."

The Camshaft Cup has never been won by a rookie before, and Fred is already tipped to be the hot favourite to win this year's championship.

The article was accompanied by a photo of Fred crossing the finish line. Fred also had trophies for various hillclimbs and class wins, all accumulated over the past few months. He also had an award for first place in a local drifting competition. Fred was definitely a force to be rckoned with! Not bad for a starstruck, rusty old Soviet tin can! Above this article was a photo graph of Fred and Lightning together on a track, obviouly a publicity shot.


End file.
